The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Amiata.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Amiata.

Volcano Types

Lava dome(s)

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zoneContinental crust (> 25 km)

Geological Summary

Amiata is a lava dome complex located about 20 km NW of Lake Bolsena in the southern Tuscany region of Italy. The 1738-m-high trachydacitic domes and associated lava flows were erupted along regional ENE-WSW-trending faults. The largest of the domes is 1738-m-high Monte Amiata (La Vetta), the 2nd highest volcano in Italy and a compound lava dome with a trachytic lava flow that extends to the east. A massive viscous trachydacitic lava flow, 5 km long and 4 km wide, is part of the basal complex and extends from beneath the southern base of Corno de Bellaria dome. Radiometric dates indicate that the Amiata complex had a major eruptive episode about 300,000 years ago. No eruptive activity has occurred at Amiata during the Holocene, but thermal activity including cinnabar mineralization continues at a producing geothermal field near the town of Bagnore, at the SW end of the dome complex.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Domes

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Amiata, Monte
Vetta, La

Dome

1738 m

Corno de Bellaria

Dome

1614 m

Montagnola, La

Dome

1571 m

Poggio Biello

Dome

1303 m

Poggio della Pescina

Dome

1198 m

Poggio Pinzi

Dome

1155 m

Poggio Pinzi

Dome

1152 m

Poggio Trauzzolo

Dome

1200 m

Photo Gallery

The small Amiata lava-dome complex (just right of the center of this image), is located about 20 km NW of Lake Bolsena (left-center) in the southern Tuscany region of Italy. Viscous lava flows can be seen descending the flanks of the complex in this NASA Space Shuttle image (with north to the lower right). The largest of the domes is 1738-m-high Monte Amiata (La Vetta). No eruptive activity has occurred at Amiata during the Holocene, but thermal activity continues at a producing geothermal field.

The small Amiata lava-dome complex (just right of the center of this image), is located about 20 km NW of Lake Bolsena (left-center) in the southern Tuscany region of Italy. Viscous lava flows can be seen descending the flanks of the complex in this NASA Space Shuttle image (with north to the lower right). The largest of the domes is 1738-m-high Monte Amiata (La Vetta). No eruptive activity has occurred at Amiata during the Holocene, but thermal activity continues at a producing geothermal field.

Monte Amiata is seen from near Radicofani, east of the volcano. The late-Pleistocene trachydacitic lava dome complex, located about 20 km NW of Lake Bolsena in the southern Tuscany region of Italy, is the 2nd highest volcano in Italy. The Amiata complex formed during two major eruptive episodes about 300,000 and 200,000 years ago. No eruptive activity has occurred at Amiata during the Holocene, but thermal activity producing cinnabar mineralization continues at a producing geothermal field near the town of Bagnore.

Photo by Anita Cadoux, 2002 (Instituto de Geofísica, UNAM, Mexico).

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography. Discussion of another volcano or eruption (sometimes far from the one that is the subject of the manuscript) may produce a citation that is not at all apparent from the title.

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).